CN114269999A

CN114269999A - Reinforced structure heat-insulation board with corner block

Info

Publication number: CN114269999A
Application number: CN202080043694.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·A·多姆博夫斯基; B·J·多姆博夫斯基
Original assignee: Nexii Building Solutions Inc
Current assignee: Nexii Building Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2019-06-14
Filing date: 2020-06-12
Publication date: 2022-04-01
Also published as: WO2020248081A1; CA3143358A1; US20200392731A1; EP3983621A1; JP2022538796A; US20220106791A1; AU2020293300A1; US11214964B2; EP3983621A4

Abstract

A Structural Insulating Panel (SIP) is made of a central insulating material or a block core covered with an adhesive material. The adhesive material layer is reinforced by fiber mesh sheets, reinforcing steel bars and corner blocks. The corner block is held in the thickened cement rim by a reinforcing pin fixed to the corner block. The corner blocks are accessible for lifting the panels and assembling a plurality of panels to build a wall.

Description

Reinforced structure heat-insulation board with corner block

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority from U.S. application No. 16/442292 filed on 14/6/2019. For purposes of the united states, this application claims the benefit under 35 u.s.c. § 119 under U.S. application No. 16/442292 entitled "REINFORCED STRUCTURAL INSULATION panels PANEL WITH COR NER BLOCKS", filed on 14/6/2019, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a reinforced structural insulation board (SIP). More particularly, it relates to a SIP with corner blocks enclosed therein to improve the reinforcement, operability and modularity of the board.

Background

Prefabrication of structural insulation panels or SIP is a significant advancement in the building field. SIP is typically prepared and assembled off-site. One type of SIP is typically composed of several components, of which a central insulating core or block core is made of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), polyisocyanurate foam, polyurethane foam or composite Honeycomb (HSC) and a two-layer structural skin or panel that may be made of sheet metal, plywood, cement, magnesium oxide board or Oriented Strand Board (OSB). The constituents of SIP are selected so as to impart low weight, good fire resistance, water resistance and strength to SIP.

Preparing the SIP at the factory rather than in the field minimizes the production cost of the SIP. Meanwhile, since the influence of external parameters such as construction site, weather, and construction worker is minimized, the quality control of each produced SIP is improved.

This background is not intended to, and should not be construed as, constituting prior art against the present invention.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates to a SIP having features for improving the enhancement, operability and modularity of the underlying SIP. The SIP has a series of enhancements at each of its corners. Specifically, the SIP is enhanced with corner blocks placed at each corner and integral with the SIP. The corner block enhances the corner while embedded in the structure of the SIP.

In general, the corners of a SIP are the portions of the SIP that are more susceptible to failure or degradation when the SIP is lifted or handled for transport or elsewhere on a building site. The corner block also serves as a fixed point at which a hook can be mounted to lift the SIP. In addition to their reinforcing effect, the corner blocks enable several enhanced SIPs to be attached to each other to form a modular wall. The corner blocks may also facilitate alignment of the SIP in the wall. Depending on the embodiment, the SIP disclosed herein provides at least one of the advantages described in relation thereto.

Disclosed herein is a Structural Insulating Panel (SIP), comprising: a core made of one or more pieces of insulating material, the core being defined by two opposing faces connected by stepped edges; a layer of glue material bonded to each face of the core; a peripheral wall of cementitious material extending from one of the plies into the step of the stepped edge; reinforcing steel bars embedded in the outer peripheral wall; a corner block located in a corner of the SIP, the corner block defining a hole into which a tool for lifting the SIP can enter; and two reinforcement pins connected to different adjacent faces of the corner block and projecting therefrom into different straight sections of the peripheral wall, wherein each reinforcement pin has a head with a diameter greater than a diameter of a shank of the reinforcement pin, each head being remote from the corner block.

Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a Structural Insulated Panel (SIP), the method comprising: forming a core having one or more pieces of insulation, the core being defined by two opposing faces connected by stepped edges; connecting two reinforcement pins to the corner block such that the reinforcement pins protrude from different adjacent faces of the corner block, wherein each reinforcement pin has a head with a diameter greater than a diameter of a shank of the reinforcement pin, each head being distal from the corner block, wherein the corner block defines a hole into which a SIP-raising tool can enter; pouring the first cementing material layer into a mould; placing the core on a first layer of adhesive material; positioning the rebar in the step of the stepped edge; positioning the corner block and the connected reinforcing pin at a corner of the SIP; pouring a cementitious material around the stepped rim to form a cementitious material peripheral wall extending from the first layer into the step of the stepped rim and to embed the reinforcing bars in different straight sections of the peripheral wall; pouring a second cementing material layer on the core body; and curing and bonding the cementitious material to the respective faces of the core.

Drawings

The following drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.

Fig. 1 is a diagram of an enhanced SIP arrangement in perspective view with a portion of the SIP broken away to view the various layers of the SIP, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating enhanced SIP as seen from above, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating enhanced SIP as seen from the left side according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing an insulating core as seen from above according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating components of a SIP as seen from above, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing an insulating core seen from below according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic view of a corner of a SIP connected to a hook according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a horizontal section taken along line a-a of fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting the preparation of an insulating core and a fibrous web sheet according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a flow chart describing the manufacture of a SIP in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

A. Glossary

EPS-expanded polystyrene.

SIP-structural insulation board.

B. Exemplary device

Referring to fig. 1, one embodiment of an enhanced SIP10 is shown. The SIP10 is made from a central insulating block core 14. The insulating core 14 may be made of a thermally insulating material such as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) or mineral fibers and is covered on its upper surface with an upper cured cementitious layer 18 and below it with a lower cured cementitious layer 22. For example, the cured

cementitious layers

18, 22 may be concrete. The SIP10 has a rectangular shape. In some embodiments, SIP10 has a different shape. SIP10 has corner blocks at each corner, such as corner block 26 located at a corner between the bottom side and the right side of the upper layers of SIP 10. The corner block 26 has a cubic shape with 4 closed faces and 2 open faces or openings. Each closed face has a circular opening or hole 30 located at the center of the face. In other embodiments, the corner block has a different number of holes, a different size of holes, a different location of holes, and a different shape of holes.

Since SIP10 may be oriented in a variety of ways depending on how it is used in the construction of a building, references to, for example, left and right sides and top, bottom, upper or lower surfaces are non-limiting and are for convenience only. It should be noted that the actual rectangular shape, scale and size of the SIP is only one embodiment of the present invention and may be modified according to the specificity of SIP 10.

The insulating core 14 has two layers: an upper layer 34 and a lower layer 38. The overall size of upper layer 34 is smaller than the overall size of lower layer 38. The two

layers

34 and 38 are joined using glue unless the layers are made from a single continuous piece. The difference in overall size between the two

layers

34 and 38 defines a raised edge 42 that surrounds the central portion of the insulating core 14. The presence of the flange 42 results in the insulating core 14 having a stepped edge around its periphery. The rebar 46 is positioned on the flange 42 on the bottom side of the SIP 10. In some embodiments, the rebar is made of carbon steel, stainless steel, fiberglass, or carbon fiber to reinforce the cured cementitious layer 18 surrounding the rebar. The position of the rebar 46 is maintained on the flange 42 using rebar retainers 50 secured to the flange.

Another rebar 54 is positioned in a channel 58 midway between the left and right ends of the insulating core 10. In some embodiments, one or more rebar lengths are positioned inside the channel 58. Channel 58 extends from a top side to an opposite bottom side of SIP 10. The channels 58 are located in the upper layer 34 of the insulating core 14. The concrete layer 18 covers and fills the channel 58, embedding the rebar 54. In some embodiments, SIP10 is not enhanced in its middle section.

A fiber mesh sheet 62, such as a fiberglass scrim or a carbon fiber mesh, is used to reinforce the upper concrete layer 18.

Below the outer surface 66 of the insulating core 14 there is a grid of grooves 70. The exterior surface faces the exterior of the building in which the SIP10 is to be installed. The lower cured adhesive layer 22 below the SIP10 is also reinforced by a fiber mesh sheet 74. The lower cured cementitious layer 22 partially enters each groove 70 to define an empty channel 78 between the outer surface 66 of the insulating core 14 and the lower cured cementitious layer 22. This type of void passage 78 facilitates the release of moisture from the cured cement material when the SIP10 is in a wet environment. Further, as atmospheric pressure changes, the passage 78 acts as a means of equalizing pressure. Thus, the bond between the cured cementitious layer 22 of the insulating core 14 and the exterior surface 66 is more resilient.

Referring to fig. 2, a SIP10 is shown as seen from above. SIP10 is rectangular with a left side 94, a right side 98, a bottom side 102, and a top side 106. The interior surface 108 of the SIP is the interior surface of the upper cured glue layer 18. Interior surface 108 faces the inside of the building in which SIP10 is to be installed. The SIP10 has a corner block positioned at each corner, such as corner block 26 at the lower right portion of the SIP.

Referring to fig. 3, a left side 94 of SIP10 is shown. The upper cured cementitious layer 18 of the SIP is in contact with the lower layer 38 of the insulating core 14. The outer surface 152 of the lower layer 38 of the insulating core has a series of grooves 70 that are partially filled with the lower cured cementitious layer 22 below. The lower cured adhesive layer 22 partially enters the groove 70 to form an empty channel 78. A corner block 168 with a circular hole 172 is provided at each corner on the left side 94 of the SIP 10.

Referring to fig. 4, an exemplary embodiment of the insulating core 175 is shown as viewed from above. The upper layer 180 of the insulating core has a smaller size shape than the lower layer 184. The shape of the upper layer 180 may be approximately a truncated rectangle or an irregular octagon. The corner face 188 at one of the corners of the upper layer 180 forms an angle a of 45 deg. with the

faces

192, 196 adjacent the upper right corner of the upper layer. The same applies to other angles. Further, two notches are located at the end of each corner face, e.g., there are two

notches

200, 204 in the corner face 188. In some embodiments, the geometry of the corners of the upper layer 180 are different.

Referring to fig. 5, another exemplary embodiment of the insulating core 220 is shown in which a corner block 224 is provided at each corner of the insulating core and reinforcing steel (e.g., 272) is provided along the side flanges (e.g., 260) of the block core. Rebar 272 may be considered to be located in a step at the stepped edge of the block core. Each corner block 224 has two reinforcement pins 228, 236 (e.g., bolts with hex heads), one end of each reinforcement pin being secured to the inward facing side of the corner block. As an example, the corner block 224 has: a reinforcing pin 228 parallel to the edge of the right side 232 of the insulating core and oriented away from the angle inward into the SIP; and a second reinforcing pin 236 parallel to the top side 240 of the insulating core and oriented away from the corner inwardly into the SIP.

The hex heads 244, 248 mounted at the other end of the reinforcement pins 228, 236 function to maintain and reinforce the position of the corner blocks 224 as the cured cementitious layer covers the insulating core 220 and embeds the reinforcement pins. In some embodiments, the hex heads 244, 248 are replaced with other differently shaped components that are used to provide a tensile mechanical joint that engages the cured cementitious material at the inner ends of the reinforcement pins 228, 236. Also, the shank of the reinforcement pins 228, 236 may be shaped to increase the surface area of the pins that are in contact with the cementitious material. The

heads

244, 248 of the

pins

228, 236 are positioned inboard or partially inboard of the two

notches

249, 250 of the corner face 252. The distance D between the corner block 224 and the corner face 252 of the upper layer of the insulating core 220 should be sufficient to reduce the risk of: the cured cementitious material cracks when the corner block is subjected to normal loads or normal stresses, subject to any desired safety margin. For example, the distance D is greater than the thickness of the cured cementitious layer on the face of the insulating core 14.

In some embodiments, the method of securing the reinforcement pins 228, 236 to the corner block 224 is different, for example, the reinforcement pins may be welded directly to the corner block. However, one advantage of providing the reinforcement pins and corner blocks separately to the manufacturing site is that the reinforcement pins and corner blocks may be more tightly packed for shipping. Furthermore, managing shear forces in a bolted ("lock and key") connection configuration rather than a welded configuration provides greater margin for shock protection. The overall composite structure and configuration of the SIP also contributes to seismic protection.

Rebar retainers are used to hold

rebar

272, 273, 274, 275 located on the

side flanges

260, 264, 266, 268 of the insulating core 220 in place. For example, rebar 272 is held in place by two

rebar retainers

276 and 280 secured to the raised edge 260 near the left side 232 of the insulating core 220. The rebar 272 is locked by means of two arms 284, for example, on a rebar retainer 276. These

rebar retainers

276, 280 raise rebar 272 above ledge 260 and thus eliminate the contact area between the rebar and ledge 260. Thus, as the cementitious mixture is poured over the rim 260 of the left side 232, the rebar 272 becomes completely enclosed or fully embedded in the cured cementitious material. This optimizes the reinforcement of rebar 272 to cementitious materials, particularly to the side edges of a SIP. In addition, the cementitious material surrounding the rebar is also reinforced with a fiber mesh strip placed on the side flanges, parallel to the upper surface of the flanges, or parallel to the sides of the upper layer 296 of the insulating core 220.

The SIP 220 is also reinforced in its middle section by rebar 288 placed in the channel 292. To this end, a channel 292 is cut in the upper layer 296 to accommodate one or more rebar lengths 288. Channel 292 connects top side bead 268 to bottom side bead 264. The depth of the channel 292 is selected such that the bottom surface of the channel is at the same level as the surface of the

side ledges

264 and 268. The rebar 288 positioned in the central passage 292 is held in place using rebar retainers in the same manner as the

side rebars

272, 273, 274, 275.

By way of example only, the corner block is made of 4 inch (10cm) length hollow structural steel having a 4 inch (10cm) square cross section and 3/8 inch (9mm) wall thickness.

Referring to fig. 6, there is shown an insulating core 300 as seen from below, presenting a grid of grooves 304 present on the exterior surface of the lower layer 308 of the insulating core. The upper layer 312 of the insulating core is free of the groove grid 304. In some embodiments, the pattern of the groove grid 304 varies depending on the application of the SIP. The depth of the groove 304 is less than about half the thickness of the lower layer 308 of the insulating core. For example, the grooves 304 are 0.75 inches (19mm) deep and 0.5 inches (13mm) wide, while the lower layer 308 is 1.5 inches (38mm) thick. The depth of the grooves 304 parallel to the left and right side edges of the SIP is the same as the depth of the grooves perpendicular to the top and bottom side edges of the insulating core. In some embodiments, the depth of the grooves varies depending on the particular application of the SIP. A clinch nut stud means, such as clinch nut stud 316, is placed on the surface of the lower layer 308 of the insulating core.

Referring to fig. 7, one embodiment of the corners of a SIP 340 as shown from the side is shown. In this embodiment, a set screw 358 and hex nut 362 are used to mount the hook 350 on the corner block 354. Hook 350 is used to lift and move SIP 340. For example, SIP 340 may be transported on a building site using a crane.

Referring to fig. 8, a cross-section of one embodiment of SIP10 is shown. The upper cured adhesive layer 18 surrounds the fiber-mesh sheet 408 that overlies and is spaced from the interior surface 412 of the upper layer 34 of the insulating core and the raised

edges

416 and 420 formed by the interior surface 424 of the lower layer 38 of the insulating core. The fiber mesh sheet 408 reinforces the upper cured cementitious layer 18.

The

standoffs

432, 436, 440 are positioned below the outer surface 444 of the lower layer 38 of the insulating core and serve to maintain a uniform thickness of cementitious mixture below the insulating core during manufacture of the insulating core. The

standoffs

432, 436, 440 positioned on the insulating core also maintain the position of the fiber mesh sheet 448 so that it is embedded in the lower cured cementitious layer 22 during manufacture. The fiber mesh sheet 448 reinforces the lower cured cementitious layer 22. The

fibrous web sheets

408 and 448 should not contact the insulating core surface. If the

fiber mesh sheets

408, 448 are in contact with the surface of the insulating core, the upper and lower cured

adhesive layers

18, 22 will not be optimally reinforced. Furthermore, the

fiber mesh sheets

408, 448 may inhibit the adhesive bond between the cured

cementitious layers

18, 22 and the

surfaces

412, 444 of the insulating core.

The

rebars

456, 460 are embedded in the thickened edges of the cured adhesive layer 18, on the sides of the upper layer 34 of the insulating core and above the

flanges

416, 420 formed by the side edges of the lower layer 38 of the insulating core. The thickened rim of cured cement material forms a peripheral wall that extends from the upper cured cement layer 18 into the step formed by the flanges 416,420, i.e. partially down the stepped edge of the block core.

The outer surface 444 of the lower layer of the insulating core has grooves such as groove 70.

Standoffs

432, 436, 440 are positioned on the exterior surface 444 of the insulating core between grooves 70. During the pouring of the cementitious mixture, the

standoff post

432, 436, 440 holds the fiber mesh sheet 448 surrounded by the lower cured cementitious layer 38. When the insulating core is placed over the lower recently cast cementitious layer 22, the cementitious material partially enters the grooves 70 in the outer surface of the insulating core to form the void passages 78.

C. Exemplary method

Referring to FIG. 9, an exemplary method for making an insulating core and a fibrous web sheet is shown. In step 500, a first EPS blank of a prescribed length and width is placed on a hot wire table or a hot wire CNC foam cutter to be cut to a prescribed thickness. In step 504, a second EPS blank of the same length and width is then obtained and machined with a thermo-mechanical tool to engrave a grid of grooves on one of its surfaces.

After that, in step 508, the two modified EPS blanks are placed on the assembly station using a set of clamps and glued together. First, glue is applied on each surface of the modified EPS blanks to be joined. The two modified EPS blanks were then allowed to stand with glue for 2 minutes and then joined together to produce an EPS block core. A weighted rod is used on top of the EPS block core to apply pressure to the joint area. In addition, a set of clamps is used to hold the two EPS blanks in alignment with each other. The clamp was closed for a duration of 2 minutes.

Then in step 512, a measurement of the fiber mesh sheet is made by superimposing the fiber mesh sheet on each surface (inner and outer surfaces) of the EPS block core. The web dimensions should correspond to the dimensions of the surface of the EPS block core.

The fibrous web sheet is then cut to match the length and width of the EPS core in step 514.

The EPS block core is then positioned horizontally with the groove below. In step 516, the upper layer of the EPS block core is trimmed using a hot knife tool to create a surface for laying down the rebar and corner blocks.

After that, the EPS block core is turned over so that the groove is on top. In step 520, a standoff is placed on the recessed surface of the EPS block core. More specifically, the standoff is placed in the center of the square defined by the four interconnected grooves. The purpose of placing the clinch nut stud on the EPS block core is for positioning. The outer fiber mesh is then aligned with the EPS block core while it is placed over the standoff post, at which time the mesh is attached to the standoff post. The mesh with the attached standoff is then removed.

Referring to fig. 10, one embodiment of preparing an SIP is shown. In step 550, the casting bed and mold are prepared according to the desired SIP dimensions. Magnets are used to hold the casting bed and mold in place. Optionally, a complementary frame for windows, doors or other elements that must be included in the SIP is placed inside the mold. The positioning of the supplementary frame inside the mould is arranged and fastened using a set of right-angle blocks.

After that, in step 554, the casting bed is cleaned using a cleaning agent, a mold release agent or a mold release spray and a microfiber pad. The release agent facilitates the separation of the SIP from the mold. The release agent was sprayed using a hand-held airless sprayer. The bottom surface of the casting bed is wiped clean or manually against a more narrow area of the surface using a microfiber pad on an extension rod. Microfiber pads are used to provide a thorough cleaning process. Except for the cleaning step, the inner edges of the molds were sealed to each other and to the bottom plate with caulk, and then left to cure for 20 minutes.

During the cleaning step, a first cementitious slurry mixture is prepared in a continuous mixer. The cementitious slurry was mixed and poured into a rolling car. The cement paste was left in the roll for 13 seconds to achieve the desired consistency. Three samples of cementitious material in a mold containing three cavities were used to perform compression tests for testing the consistency of the cured cementitious material. The cement slurry is then poured into a slurry pump for later pouring into a casting bed.

Meanwhile, in step 556, an EPS bulk core is prepared as explained with respect to fig. 9.

After that, in step 562, the cementitious material slurry is poured into the casting bed via a slurry pump to create the exterior surface of the SIP. A slurry of cementitious material is spread on the bottom surface of the casting bed using a gauge blade to obtain uniform distribution. The leveling guide is passed through the casting mold from end to end using the top of the mold as a guide to confirm the correct thickness of the concrete slurry.

In step 566, a first fibrous mesh sheet is placed over the cementitious slurry in the casting bed with the standoff studs secured to the fibrous mesh sheet. The base of the standoff is oriented upward to support the EPS block core. The fiber mesh sheet was gently raked using a needle rake.

The EPS block core is then placed into the casting bed over the slurry of cementitious material in step 570. And uniformly applying pressure to each area of the EPS block core body, and lightly pressing the EPS block core body into the cementing slurry. In step 574, when the EPS block core is in place, rebar is secured on the side edges of the EPS block core using rebar retainers, and corner blocks are placed at each corner of the EPS block core. A dam is enclosed on each corner block with tape to prevent any slurry from filling the interior of the corner block during subsequent concrete pouring. If necessary, in step 578, a seam sealant and fire-blocking silicone are applied to the upper side edges of the EPS block core adjacent the casting bed wall.

A second cement slurry is then poured around the edges of the EPS block core in step 582 so as to cover the rebar placed on the side edges of the EPS block core. The second slurry is prepared specifically for thickening the edges of the SIP. The slurry is then allowed to set by standing until it reaches a temperature of 24 ℃ or less.

A third cement slurry is then poured over the EPS block core in step 586 to create the interior surface of the SIP. The slurry was spread evenly over the EPS block core and thickened edges using a gauge spatula. The level of the third slurry reaches a level slightly above the top of the corner block (e.g., 0.5 inch or 13 mm). After that, in step 590, a second fibrous web sheet is placed on the slurry and the corners of the second fibrous web sheet are cut to match the corner blocks. The fiber network sheet is rolled into the slurry until the fiber network sheet is no longer visible and is completely immersed in the slurry. Leveling rulers are used to ensure a flat and smooth surface. The SIP was then left to cure. Once a film is produced on the SIP surface, a mist of water is sprayed on the surface of the cementitious material. After the final casting step, the surface was kept wet for at least 3 hours.

The SIP is then lifted from the casting bed using a lifting bracket and crane secured to the corner block. The SIP is placed on a roll cart for movement to a finishing area where the SIP is ground and polished.

In step 594, the SIP is milled. The SIP edge was first ground using a low speed grinder to remove the curled edge created during casting. The edges must be flat and as uniform as the rest of the SIP. Any sharp corners are rounded off using a hand pad until the sharp corners become smooth. The entire surface of the SIP was then coated with water to wet it but no soaking occurred. Next, GM3000TM solution was coated and spread with a fine broom. The SIP surface with the GM3000TM solution was then ground using an 18 "mill with 7" metal/diamond segments to produce a slurry that filled any surface pinholes. Once the entire surface was abraded with the slurry, it was allowed to set for at least 1 hour.

Then, in step 598, the SIP is polished. Using a grinder with a medium grade 100-mesh pad T63, HEPA (high efficiency particle air) vacuum was used to polish the entire surface of the SIP until the surface had a smooth polishing finish. After that, a 200-mesh resin FP44TM diamond pad mounted on a grinder was used to remove any swirl marks resulting from the previous treatment to show a slightly matte finish ready for paint or any other preferred coating.

D. Variants

In some embodiments, the insulating core or EPS block core is replaced by a mineral fiber block core. The mineral fiber block core is cut to a size similar to the EPS block core. However, in this example, the inner layer of the mineral fibre block core is divided into two pieces so that steel reinforcement may be included between the two pieces. When placed inside the mold, the fiber mesh sheet is pre-cut to cover the mineral fiber block core.

After the casting mold is prepared, a first cement slurry is poured and a fiber mesh sheet is placed in the slurry. The lower mineral fiber block core is then placed on the first slurry in the mold. Two upper mineral fibre blocks are then placed on the lower block, forming a central channel to receive the rebar and rebar holders. When the upper mineral fiber block core is placed inside the mold, pre-cut wood blocks are placed beside the block core to maintain the space between the walls of the mold and the block core. This space is further used to reinforce the edge of the SIP by means of rebar embedded in the cementitious material and held in place with a rebar retainer.

Strips of fibrous mesh sheet are placed around the edges of the block core to be embedded by the thickened peripheral wall formed by the second slurry of cementitious material.

In some embodiments, a grid of grooves may be cut into the mineral fiber block.

The hooks on the corner blocks may be replaced by means to facilitate attachment of adjacent SIPs to form the walls of the building.

In general, unless otherwise indicated, singular elements may be in the plural and vice versa with no loss of generality.

Throughout the description, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the invention may be practiced without these particulars. In other instances, well known elements have not been shown or described in detail, and repetition of steps and features is omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details disclosed herein may be further modified to produce other embodiments that are within the scope of the invention as disclosed. Two or more steps in the flowcharts may be performed in different orders, other steps may be added, or one or more steps may be removed without changing the main functions of the present invention. The flow diagrams from different graphs may be combined in different ways. All parameters, dimensions, materials and configurations described herein are examples only, and the actual values for such examples depend on the specific embodiment. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A Structural Insulating Panel (SIP), comprising:

a core made of one or more pieces of insulation material, the core defined by two opposing faces connected by stepped edges;

a layer of glue material bonded to each face of the core;

a peripheral wall of cementitious material extending from one of the tiers into the step of the stepped edge;

reinforcing steel bars embedded in the outer peripheral wall;

a corner block located in a corner of the structural insulation panel, the corner block defining a hole into which a tool for lifting the structural insulation panel can enter; and

two reinforcement pins connected to different adjacent faces of the corner block and projecting therefrom into different straight sections of the peripheral wall, wherein each reinforcement pin has a head with a diameter greater than a diameter of a shank of the reinforcement pin, each head being distal from the corner block.

2. A structural insulating panel according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing pins are hex bolts which are further screwed into threaded holes in the corner blocks.

3. A structural insulating panel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core is made of expanded polystyrene.

4. A structural insulating panel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core is made from a block of mineral fibres.

5. A structural insulating panel according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the layer of cementitious material is reinforced with a fibre mesh sheet.

6. A structural insulating panel as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the rebars are positioned in the steps via rebar retainers.

7. A structural insulating panel according to any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the core has an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein the surface area of the upper layer is less than the surface area of the lower layer.

8. A structural insulating panel as claimed in claim 7 wherein the upper layer of the core is a truncated rectangular prism whose rectangular corners of a truncated rectangular cross-section have each been truncated to form a corner face with two notches.

9. A structural insulating panel as claimed in claim 8 wherein said corner faces form a 45 ° angle with the adjoining side of said upper layer of said core.

10. A structural insulating panel as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein the thickness of the adhesive material between the corner blocks and the nearest corner face of the upper layer of the core is greater than the thickness of each layer of adhesive material bonded to the face of the core.

11. A structural insulating panel according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the head extends at least partially into the recess.

12. A structural insulating panel according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein:

the upper layer of the core having a channel extending from one of the stepped edges to an opposite stepped edge;

the layer of glue material bonded to the upper layer of the core extends into the channel; and is

Reinforcing bars are embedded in the cementitious material extending into the channel.

13. A structural insulating panel according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein:

each corner block having a cube-like hollow opening at opposite ends;

the aperture is defined by a closed face of the corner block;

another aperture is defined by another closing face of the corner block adjacent to the closing face; and is

One of the open ends of the corner block is accessible from outside the structural insulating panel.

14. A structural insulating panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein hook bolts are secured to the corner blocks via the holes.

15. A structural insulating panel according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the reinforcing pins are welded to the corner blocks.

16. A method of manufacturing a Structural Insulating Panel (SIP), the method comprising:

forming a core from one or more pieces of insulation, the core being defined by two opposing faces connected by stepped edges;

connecting two reinforcing pins to a corner block such that the reinforcing pins protrude from different adjacent faces of the corner block, wherein the diameter of the head of each reinforcing pin is greater than the diameter of the shank of the reinforcing pin, each head being remote from the corner block, wherein the corner block defines a hole into which a tool to lift the structural insulation panel can enter;

pouring the first cementing material layer into a mould;

placing the core on the first layer of adhesive material;

positioning a rebar in a step of the stepped edge;

positioning the corner blocks and connected reinforcement pins at corners of the structural insulation panel;

pouring a cement material around the stepped rim to form a cement peripheral wall extending from the first cement material layer into the step of the stepped rim and to embed the rebar in different straight sections of the peripheral wall;

casting a second layer of cementitious material over the core; and

curing and bonding the cementitious material to the face of the core.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

tapping additional holes in the corner block, wherein attaching the reinforcement pin to the corner block comprises threading the reinforcement pin into the additional holes;

reinforcing the first adhesive material layer and the second adhesive material layer with a fibrous web sheet.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein forming the core comprises:

forming the core having an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein:

the surface area of the upper layer is smaller than that of the lower layer;

the upper layer of the core is a truncated rectangular prism whose rectangular corners of a truncated rectangular cross-section have each been truncated to form a corner face with two notches; and is

The corner face forms a 45 ° angle with an adjacent side of the upper layer of the core; and

positioning the head to extend at least partially into the recess.

19. The method of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein:

each corner block having a cube-like hollow opening at opposite ends;

the aperture is defined by a closed face of the corner block;